


A Three-Strand Braid

by serenbach



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Cultural Differences, Dwarf Courting, Dwarf/Elf Relationship(s), F/M, Implied/Referenced Incest, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Polyandry, Polygamy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-14 22:06:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4581867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenbach/pseuds/serenbach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Did Kili give you this?” Sigrid asked eagerly. </p><p>“No,” Tauriel told her, watching as she tilted the brooch so that it glimmered in the candlelight. “That was from Fili.”</p><p>“From Fili?” Tilda asked, goggling at her curiously. “Is he courting you too?”</p><p>“No,” Tauriel replied, not able to hide her shock at the question.</p><p>---</p><p>Six months after the Battle of Five Armies and Tauriel is still banished form Mirkwood and living in Dale, helping with the rebuilding and learning more of the world outside of the boarders of the Woodland Realm.</p><p>Of course, the close proximity to Erebor means that she can spend a lot of time with Kili. </p><p>It didn't occur to her at first to wonder why she was spending almost as much time with Fili.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dragons_and_angels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragons_and_angels/gifts).



> This is my entry for the rare pair fest for [dragons_and_angels](http://archiveofourown.org/users/dragons_and_angels/), who wanted some Fili/Kili/Tauriel and some cultural differences! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> I would like to thank [pibroch (littleblackdog)](http://archiveofourown.org/users/littleblackdog/) for allowing me to use their "dwarven brothers court together" idea (and if you haven't read [Gem](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1194282) then you really should!)
> 
> And thank you to the rare pair mods for running this challenge. It's no exaggeration to say that I look forward to it every year.

Tauriel slowly came back to consciousness, blinking once in surprise to see Sigrid leaning over her.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Sigrid whispered apologetically. "I can never tell if you are asleep or not."

Tauriel smiled at her, remembering the consternation it had caused the first time she had drifted into the elven waking dreams in front of Bard's children. "That's alright, Sigrid."

"Breakfast is ready," Sigrid told her briefly, before running off into the basic but functional kitchen. Her first few mornings with Bard's family, all the children (and Bard, a little bit) had been shy of her, but she had been staying with them long enough now for that to wear off.

It had been nearly six months since the Battle of Five Armies, six months since she had found Fili and Kili on the battlefield and kept them alive long enough for help to come. Six months since her refusal to leave them had caused a rift between her and Legolas and six months since her banishment from Mirkwood. 

Once Bard had found out about that, she had been invited her to stay with his family for a while. "You saved my children when the dragon came," he told her, his gratitude clear. "The least I can do in return is let you stay with us for a while, even if it is just a place on the floor to lay out your blanket."

She had agreed thankfully. She hadn't wanted to be too far from Erebor, from Kili, but she struggled with constantly being under stone and away from the sky, and being around friendly faces after the horror of the battle and the separation from everyone she had ever known was a kindness she had not looked for. 

Now of course, everything had changed. All of the Durins had survived, Thorin had been crowned King of Erebor and had taken the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, as his consort. Bard was regarded as King of Dale by everyone but himself and the rebuilding of the city was going well, something that Tauriel was helping with. 

As for Kili, he came to Dale to see her as often as he could, sometimes alone and sometimes with Fili; with Thorin’s, if not full approval, at least without his disapproval. But she was not expecting Kili today, so she ate some of the porridge Sigrid had made (less than Sigrid would have liked, not because she didn’t like it, but because she didn’t need as much as they did), helped Tilda plait her hair and headed out into the city to see what needed to be done that day.

Dale looked far more like a city than an empty shell these days. The men and women of Dale were bustling about in the street, clearing rubble, hammering and sawing and dozens of other never-ending tasks that the rebuilding of the city required. Every now and then she would walk by one of the Dwarven teams of builders and engineers than Thorin had sent down from Erebor to aid with the rebuilding. 

Some of them eyed her a bit strangely, either because she was the lone Elf in a city of Men, or perhaps even because they had heard of her connection to their youngest prince, but Tauriel wasn’t concerned. She had worked alongside them long enough now to know that they cared far more about whether she was willing to work hard with them than that she was an Elf. 

While she wasn’t an engineer or an architect, there was always work for someone able to climb and balance as well as she could. 

After several hours helping the workers assemble a pulley system for lowering beams into open husks of some of the old houses, the Dwarven workers started talking excitedly in Khuzdul. Tauriel looked down from where she was perched on top of the open edge of the building, ensuring that the ropes didn’t get tangled on the way down.

Fili was smiling up at her and she returned it, genuinely pleased to see him, before jumping down from the roof, earning a few murmurs of admiration and some good-natured grumbling from her Dwarven audience.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Fili said, looking at her but directing his comment at all of the workers. “I was hoping that you would have some time to spare, but if you are needed here…”

“I’m sure we can spare you for a bit,” the leader of this particular team of dwarves told her, with a sincere smile.

One of the others made a comment in Khuzdul that had all the workers laughing, and Fili looking faintly embarrassed as she followed him away. “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “They were laughing at me, not you.”

They walked together in a comfortable silence, one that they had developed during Fili and Kili’s time in the healing tents. Fili had regained consciousness first, and as terrible as his injuries had been, the damage to his head from the fall he had taken had been far more serious than his stab-wound, and he had woken to find that his brother and uncle were still critically ill and that he might never regain his sight. 

They had become friends then, in their shared concern for Kili and because she had acted as his eyes while they had been bandaged over for their own protection. But she had assisted Oin to reduce the swelling in his head, and he had regained his sight back in time to see both his brother and uncle awaken.

Tauriel hadn’t been able to spend much time with him since he had left the healing tents, unfortunately. As soon as he had been well enough to walk with a cane to aid him, he had launched himself into his duties as heir. She was glad that he had made the journey into Dale today.

They reached the little patch of earth where Bilbo Baggins had planted his oak tree, and Fili leant against the fence that Bard had obligingly put up so that it was not trampled while it grew. He didn’t need a cane any longer, but she knew he still tired more easily than he would like.

“You can’t see anything there yet,” Fili observed, and Tauriel came to rest against the fence alongside him.

“It will be some time,” she agreed, “decades until it reaches its full growth.”

Fili nodded, staring at the patch of bare earth for a moment before seeming to steal himself. “I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you recently,” he apologised.

Tauriel didn’t know how to reply, she wasn’t sure why the idea seemed to be distressing him, and when she noticed that Fili seemed to be waiting for an answer managed, “I understand.” 

Fili smiled then, his troubled frown fading away, and Tauriel added “Kili told me all about the collapse in the living area. Was anyone hurt?”

“A few broken bones and bumped heads. Nothing fatal, thank Mahal, as no one was living in there yet, but it was a mess for a while.”

“That’s good,” Tauriel said, relieved for their sake.

“Thank you,” Fili replied. “But I still meant to give you this earlier.”

He handed her a velvet pouch, the fabric slightly worn but still very fine, and when she shook the contents out on to her palm, she couldn’t her small gasp of surprise. It was a golden brooch, made of three leaves overlapping each other, each leaf a gemstone of slightly different shades of green.

“Fili, this is beautiful,” Tauriel told him, and whatever he saw in her face made him relax. She hadn’t realised how tense he was until then.

She knew from what she had witnessed and overheard during her time in Erebor that jewellery was important to dwarves, that they exchanged special pieces between friends and family as signs of favour and friendship.

She wondered if Kili had been pestering him to hand it over to her. The thought made her smile.

“Do you accept it?” he asked her intently.

“I’d be honoured,” she told him and he positively beamed as she attached it to her shirt. 

For the rest of his visit, he kept glancing at it and smiling.

\---

Later, when she returned to her work with the dwarven teams, she noticed them all eyeing her new brooch with interest.

“I’d heard the prince has a deft hand with jewellery,” the team leader told her, nodding approvingly. 

“He made it himself?” Tauriel asked in surprise, reaching up to touch it again.

“Of course he did!” the dwarf exclaimed. “It wouldn’t be proper otherwise!”

“I see,” Tauriel said slowly, wondering what the dwarf meant by ‘proper.’ “Thank you for informing me.”

The dwarf nodded at her, before sending her to climb back the building to support the pulley. 

The dwarves weren’t the only ones who noticed her new jewellery. Sigrid and Tilda noticed it as soon as she returned to Bard’s house that evening and cooed over it.

Tauriel smiled, taking it off so they could have a better look. She knew that she didn’t need to ask them to be careful with it.

“Did Kili give you this?” Sigrid asked eagerly. She had made no secret that she thought that their relationship was adorable.

“No,” Tauriel told her, watching as she tilted it so that it glimmered in the candlelight. “That was from Fili.”

“From Fili?” Tilda asked, goggling at her curiously. “Is he courting you too?”

“No,” Tauriel replied, not able to hide her shock at the question. “It’s a token of friendship.”

“It’s beautiful,” Sigrid said as she handed it back.

For the rest of the evening, as she helped with the cooking and clearing away (she had been living with them for long enough that they treated her like family, not like a guest, and allowed her to help), and then told the children (and Bard) stories before bed, Tauriel couldn’t get Tilda’s question out of her head.

It would never have occurred to her before Tilda had spoken, but now she couldn’t get Fili’s expression as she fastened the brooch to her shirt, or the comments from the dwarven worker out of her mind.

But Fili couldn’t be courting her, surely. He would never do that to Kili. 

It had been a gift of friendship, nothing more, and she had accepted it as such. Tauriel resolved to put it out of her mind. 

\---

The next morning, when Tauriel sat down at the breakfast table, Bard asked “Instead of helping with the building today, do you think that you could go hunting instead? We are running short of supplies and I am still struggling to persuade people to take up fishing.”

“Of course,” Tauriel agreed. “Though I can’t blame people for thinking that the lake is haunted.”

Bard smiled at her tiredly. Helping him was different from serving Thranduil. Bard didn’t order her, and she was not sworn to him. But there were a lot of burdens on him, and she would do her best to help lighten them, because after everything they had been through, they had become friends, and she respected that he had his people’s best interests at heart.

In truth, as much as Tauriel was enjoying seeing what was beyond the borders of Mirkwood, she missed the freedom of the woods, of being able to explore wherever she wanted, and the hunting request came just as she was starting to feel restless.

She wondered if Bard knew that when he asked her.

She couldn’t risk crossing into Mirkwood’s territory, her banishment was still upheld, even though she knew that both Bard and Bilbo had spoken to Thranduil on her behalf. But she still managed to catch a brace of partridges, a few squirrels and set out some snares for rabbits when she heard from behind her the tread of a heavy boot trying to be silent.

She smiled to herself. She would know the sound of those footsteps anywhere. 

She waited with giving any sign that she had heard him until he was close behind her before speaking. “Hello Kili,” she said, without turning.

He groaned loudly. “One day I’ll manage to sneak up on you!” he declared, and she laughed as she faced him. Aside from the scar across the bridge of his nose, he appeared largely unchanged from the first time they had met.

“Maybe one day,” she agreed, lowering her head a little for the smacking kiss he gave her. “How did you find me?”

“Bard sent me after you,” Kili said with a laugh. “Said something about young love. I think that he forgets that we are both older than him. Then I saw the snares so I knew you’d be around here somewhere.”

He knelt down beside her to help her prepare the game, catching her up with all of Erebor’s gossip. Eventually his story trailed off, and when she looked up he was eyeing the brooch Fili had given her with a smile on his face. 

“It suits you,” he said with a shrug when he realised that she had noticed him looking. “Fili was worried that you wouldn’t like it.”

“It’s beautiful,” Tauriel said honestly, and Kili beamed as proudly as if he had made it himself.

Uncertainty clawed at her again, and she said, “May I ask you something, Kili?”

“Of course,” he immediately replied. “Anything you like.”

“Did Fili… did he intend this as a courting gift?” she asked hesitantly.

She expected Kili to laugh, but instead he looked at her with wide-eyed distress.

“Of course he did!” he exclaimed in dismay.


	2. Chapter 2

When Tauriel arrived back to Dale, Bard took the game from her gratefully, before he took a closer look at her face.

“Did something happen?” he asked her, concerned. “Did you and Kili have an argument?”

“Not an argument,” she replied, still a bit shaken. “Just… a bit of a misunderstanding.”

Although that was probably an understatement. Kili had made an attempt to enlighten her about why Fili was giving her courting gifts as well, before rushing back to Erebor to tell his brother what had happened, leaving her just as confused as before he began his explanation. 

“I’m sure it will sort itself out,” Bard said comfortingly, patting her on her shoulder. “And if it doesn’t and you want me to send him packing the next time he comes, let me know.”

That made her smile a little. She didn’t need Bard’s protection, but it was kind of him to offer. “That isn’t necessary, but thank you.”

Bard nodded, obviously still concerned but willing to accept her word. She followed him back into the house, and let the simple routine of preparing a meal, followed by Sigrid and Tilda to styling her hair and Bain asking for somewhat gruesome details about fighting spiders to ease her mind, even if she did find herself playing with both Kili’s runestone and Fili’s brooch after the children had gone to bed.

The next morning, she found Fili at the front door, hand raised to knock, as she prepared to leave for the day. 

“Ah,” he said, obviously surprised. “I was wondering if we could go somewhere and talk – only if you want to though, I’m not…”

Tauriel couldn’t help a small smile at his uncharacteristic babbling. “I think that talking is a good idea,” she agreed.

Tauriel grabbed her bow in case they came across any more game, and then they walked together through Dale. Fili called out greetings to some of the dwarven workers, and Tauriel nodded at those who waved at her, but between them was silence.

It wasn’t until they reached the rabbit snares that she had set out the previous day that Fili spoke, looking at the trapped rabbit rather than her, pulling out one of his many knives to help prepare them.

“I think that there has been some sort of misunderstanding between us,” he began.

“Yes, I think so too,” she agreed. “What-” she began.

“How-” Fili asked at the same time, and they laughed, the awkwardness between them breaking. 

“What were you going to say?” Tauriel asked, still laughing. 

“How many spouses do elves have?” he asked. “Just the one?”

“Yes,” Tauriel said quietly. “Just one, for our whole lives, no matter how long we spend apart or if one of us dies.”

“It’s a little different for dwarves,” Fili said. “With us, it’s not uncommon for brothers to court the same person, though once a dwarf falls in love, their feelings never change.”

Tauriel stared at him, the rabbits forgotten. “I see…” She trailed off. She couldn’t get her head around it; it was completely foreign to her.

Fili was watching her carefully. “Does that idea disgust you?” he asked, his voice neutral but his eyes sharp. 

She shook her head instantly. “No,” she replied. “It’s just…strange to me.” She was turning the pieces around in her mind, trying to get it to fit with what little she knew of dwarven culture, which she had discovered after meeting Kili, was woefully small and mostly inaccurate. 

He laughed a little. “I suppose it is strange, if you are not used to it. I think it’s strange the other way round. For us though, it’s quite sensible. The tradition started way back, because there are fewer dwarrowdams – female dwarves – than there are males, and not every one of those is interested in marriage. ”

“That is sensible,” Tauriel replied. Once she knew the reasons behind it, the tradition made sense, especially among the practically minded dwarves. “Is it only brothers that court together? And only woman – dams? – that take two husbands?”

“Oh no,” Fili said. “It’s the most common, but certainly not the only way it has to be. While it’s usually brothers, it could also be cousins, or very old friends, or two who are already lovers. Any two dwarves, really, that know each other well enough to spend a life together, whether or not they are already, or ever will be, a couple.” 

“I see,” Tauriel said slowly. 

“And it’s not unheard of at all for two dwarves to court another male, or two dams another dam, though that’s a bit rarer. Bombur’s two eldest daughters are courting Gloin’s youngest daughter, and last I heard they were looking around for a dwarf of good standing who wants to be a father but not a husband to help them get with child.” He shrugged. “Most dwarves care little about whatever gender – if any – their partners are.” 

“I think I understand,” Tauriel said slowly, still trying to take it all in. Her hand crept up to toy with her brooch as she thought.

“I can’t help but notice that you are still wearing the brooch,” Fili said quietly. “I will not hold you to an offer that you didn’t know you were accepting...”

“Fili,” she interrupted, struck by a sudden thought. “Did you make me this offer because of Kili? Or because you are following your people’s traditions? Or because you wanted to?” Despite all her confusion, she didn’t want to be courted by anyone who didn’t really want her. 

He looked surprised at her blunt question, and took a long moment to consider his words.

“Kili knew how he felt about you the first moment he saw with you,” Fili told her quietly, and Tauriel stared at him wide-eyed. “Some dwarves love like that, instantly and irreversibly. I am not like him,” Fili admitted. “But I am fond of you, and not just for Kili’s sake, or because you saved his life – or my life,” he added, as if that were a lesser accomplishment. “I would like the chance to court you to see what could grow between us.”

“That seems fair,” Tauriel said, and Fili grinned. “But I have one last question – if we decide that we are not a suitable match, what happens then, to us, and between you and Kili?”

“If we decide that we are not suited,” Fili said with a small smile, “we part way as friends, with no blame laid on either of us. We would not be forced to marry just to follow the tradition – as you know, Gloin is married, yet, Oin is not. He was only ever interested in his craft, and no one would have forced him to marry when he did not want to, or Gloin to remain unmarried because his brother prefers it that way.” He paused as Tauriel nodded her understanding. “And as for Kili and myself – he is my brother. I have loved him since before he was born. There is nothing that will ever change that.” 

“That’s good to know,” Tauriel said, relieved. She hated the thought of there being any conflict between them, especially not for her sake.

“So,” Fili asked carefully, “Now that you know what the brooch means, will you wear it?”

“I…” Tauriel trailed off, and watched as Fili’s face fell a little, though he tried to hide it. “I’m not very good at this,” she admitted. 

“What do you mean?” Fili asked carefully, one of his hands coming down to toy with the knife at his hip. 

“When I was a Mirkwood Guard, I didn’t… I was focused on my duty, and then I was made Guard Captain and… I never thought that I would…”

She trailed off, embarrassed, but Fili didn’t tease her, just nodded encouragingly.

“What I am trying to say,” she began again, “is that matters of love, and courtship are new to me. Meeting Kili was a shock in more than one way.” Fili laughed, and suddenly she knew exactly what she wanted to say. 

“I’d be honoured to wear it,” she replied earnestly. “I also care for you a great deal, and I would like to know what there could be between us.” Fili already bright smile grew even wider and Tauriel felt warm at the knowledge that she had caused it. “I only ask that you inform me if it seems that there are any other traditions that I am going to be unfamiliar with. And have patience with me, as I am still getting used to this.”

“That’s seems more than fair,” Fili said, his grin not dampening at all. “But I also should ask how marriage is done among your people – I would like to make you as comfortable as possible.”

“Well,” Tauriel began slowly. “Among my people courting is quite informal – we have centuries to get to know each other, after all. We don’t have any ceremonies or anything, the first time a couple…” she trailed off, suddenly awkward. “The first time they lie together they are considered married.”

Fili’s eyebrows rose and his pleased grin turned wicked. “So we would both have to _lie_ with you at the same time to be considered married? I’m sure we can figure something out.”

Tauriel felt her face heat up and she turned back to the snared rabbits.

“You’re blushing!” he observed in delight. “I didn’t even know elves could blush!”

“You’re terrible,” she muttered, and he laughed.

“Come on, let’s finish these,” he said. “Bilbo told me to invite you for dinner, if you’d like, and we should tell Kili what’s happening before he wears a hole in the floor with his pacing.”

\--- 

Kili could obviously tell from the moment they both arrived in Erebor that they had managed to resolve the misunderstanding, because he threw his arms around them both in a massive relieved hug.

The dinner that evening was as fine as any other she’d had in Erebor, the last awkwardness she always felt as she first entered faded away as she sat with Fili and Kili on either side of her, helping Ori practice his Sindarin. 

Later, when the meal was finished, the dishes, miraculously unbroken, were cleared away, and the dwarves had broken out their instruments, Tauriel overheard Bilbo ask Thorin quietly “So, both of the boys are courting Tauriel?”

“Yes,” Thorin answered, and she couldn’t tell if his answer was a grumble or merely low. 

“And… that’s alright?” Bilbo asked, sounding as confused as she had been earlier.

“Is that not done amongst hobbits?” Thorin wondered, and Bilbo laughed.

“Hobbits are polite enough to know that what goes on behind closed doors among adults is none of our business, even if we are nosy enough to speculate about it over afternoon tea,” Bilbo replied, sounding amused. “I just don’t want any of them to get hurt.”

“They won’t,” Thorin assured him, his voice warmer than she’d ever heard. “It’s not uncommon among dwarves – the same dam married Bofur and Bombur.”

“Really?” Bilbo asked. “That explains a lot – I just thought that I’d misheard whenever they mentioned her name.”

Thorin chuckled. “I promise you, everything will be fine.”

Tauriel relaxed then, watching as Fili and Kili played their fiddles, and Bofur danced along (badly). If _Thorin_ thought that everything would be alright between them, then she had a lot more confidence herself that it would.

When the party was in full swing, and they could slip away unnoticed, Kili took her hand and led her deeper into the heart of the mountain. She didn’t mention her discomfort, but he must have known because he squeezed her hand tightly and didn’t let go.

“We want to show you something,” Kili told her. “We’re not far away now.”

This deep within the mountain it was dark, even for her elven eyesight, with only the occasional torch to light the way. But Tauriel could hear the sound of running water get louder.

“Is that a waterfall?” she asked, but Kili only grinned and didn’t answer.

“Here we are,” Kili said, and Fili emerged from around a corner, obviously waiting for them. Tauriel had to duck her head under a beam, and then she stared in utter shock.

“This is the River Running,” Fili told her with a small smile. “Its source is just ahead, but from here…” he trailed off, waving her hand. 

From where they were standing, the water was tumbling through a high break in the cavern wall, and at this time, the moonlight made the water shine silver.

“It’s beautiful,” Tauriel said; her voice caught in her throat. The fact that they had known that she would like this left her feeling incredibly touched.

“We thought you’d like,” Kili said, squeezing her hand again.

“We know that you find the idea of living in Erebor difficult,” Fili added. “We want you to know that there are things here that you’ll like.”

“I know there are at least two things I like here,” she said, and she was only not embarrassed when she saw how pleased they were at her words.

They exchanged a glance between them, one that was surprisingly nervous, and then Kili said, “There is a special braid that dwarves put in each other’s hair when they are courting – we were hoping that you would let us put one in yours.”

“You’ll have to show me what to do,” she agreed, perching on a rock so they could reach her hair properly.

“I’ll show you,” Kili said. “Fili’s hopeless at braiding.”

“Hopeless is a strong word. You’re not much better.” Fili objected, and Kili snorted.

“Who do think does his hair for him? And why do you think that I don’t bother with mine?”

Their fond bickering made her smile as they put the braid in her hair, three small plaits – one for each of them - to make up one larger one, before repeating it for both of them. She reached up and touched it carefully, noticing that they were doing the same. 

“Thank you,” she said, not sure if she what exactly she was thanking them for, but knowing that she meant it. 

They must have understood, because they sprawled next her to her and half on top of each other, and they stayed long after the moonlight faded from the waterfall and the only light came from the torches. 

\---

She saw Fili and Kili almost every day after that, usually together, but sometimes one or the other of them were caught up in their duties in Erebor. They would often join her working in Dale or hunting, occasionally setting up an archery or knife-throwing competition. Sometimes they would camp overnight, and she would listen to their stories about Ered Luin, and their family, and the journey to Erebor. She would tell them about her life in the Woodland Realm, the endless battles with the spiders, and about how much she had wanted to see beyond their boarders. She found herself spending more time in Erebor, and she was slowly learning to see the beauty in the stone (and they understood that she would always prefer the starlight).

She was starting to be unable to picture her life without them in it.

She had realised long before, when she’d heard that Kili had been hit with a Morgul arrow that she had loved him. She had felt a strange recognition in their first meeting, a strong bond with someone who many people would assume should be her enemy. Her feelings for Fili were different, slower to develop, based around friendship and admiration, but were steady and strong. However, she had a similar moment of revelation about Fili when they were stopped in the marketplace of Dale by a delegation from Mirkwood.

“Feren,” Tauriel said in surprise, of course recognising one of Thranduil’s guards. _“Nae saian luume'.”_

“Tauriel,” he said with a nod of his head. “I come with a message from King Thranduil.” 

“Really?” she said in surprise. Thranduil was not usually one to go back on his word lightly, especially not after she had so openly defied him.

“He has heard that you are associated with not just one, but two dwarves. If you cease all ties with them, he will welcome you back into the Woodland Court.”

She heard Fili stir behind her, grabbing Kili’s arm as he went to intervene, but she didn’t stop to consider her answer.

“No,” she said unhesitatingly. “I will not.”

Feren's nose wrinkled slightly. “They have corrupted you,” he said disdainfully.

“They have done no such thing,” she replied angrily. “I love them, and they me.”

Feren sighed deeply. “They will die, Tauriel, and the century you have spent with them will seem like nothing at all. You will not even be reunited with them after death.”

“If I only have a century with them, then I will treasure every moment,” she said firmly, and she felt them stand at either side of her, supporting her.

Feren sighed. “I have my answer then. You know what to do if you change your mind.”

“I won’t,” she said, and watched as he nodded regretfully and turned away.

“He sounded like he had something spiky stuck up his robe,” Kili said, glaring after him.

“You love me?” Fili asked, and they both turned to look at him, Kili’s frown melting into a smile, one that Tauriel couldn’t help but mirror.

“Of course I do,” she said, and bent down to kiss him in the middle of the marketplace while Kili cheered alongside them, and Fili’s murmured “I love you too” was almost lost in the noise.

“Bilbo thinks that Thranduil is just concerned for you, but that he will come round,” Fili told her comfortingly when he pulled back, his hands still on her hips. “He’s invited him to our wedding, when we're ready for one anyway, along with Legolas.” He wrinkled his nose, not entirely able to hide what he thought of that.

“I bet Thorin’s thrilled,” Tauriel replied with a little laugh. She didn’t regret her choice to leave, not in the slightest, but she did miss Thranduil and Legolas, and she did hope that their estrangement would not last long. Not the lifetime of her lovers, certainly. 

“Yeah, he’s ecstatic,” Fili agreed, rolling his eyes. 

“While we’re happy to get elven married to you any time you like, the others will be very unhappy if we miss out on the chance to have a party,” Kili told her, smirking a little.

Tauriel smiled brightly as Fili swatted at him, and Kili dodged out of the way, laughing. "Bombur is already planning a cake!" he said, all wounded innocence and mischievous eyes. "And Dori has already designed all the decorations. I'm only thinking of them!"

The idea of courting two people, loving two people, had been utterly alien to her at first, but now, as she watched them, bright and laughing and happy, she could not picture her life without either of them in it. 

In her heart, she knew that Feren wasn’t entirely wrong – he was wrong about them corrupting her, of course, but not about them only having a century or so together. But as strange as their courtship had been at the beginning, she was happier now than they had ever been, and if she only had a century with them, she did not want to waste any time with hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nae saian luume' - It has been too long.
> 
> I don't see Fili and Kili's relationship as romantic, but since it is a bit ambiguous I tagged for incest just in case. 
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this - Fili/Kili/Tauriel is a fast growing OT3 for me! - and I hope that you have enjoyed it as well! Thank you for the prompt!


End file.
